Hype Muffin
The story--presented through several cutscenes--has a grand, cinematic feeling, from loyalty and betrayal to castles enveloped in flames. The plot follows Rikimaru and Ayame, two ninjas in the service of Lord Gohda, who sends them on missions ranging from investigating corrupt merchants to rescuing his kidnapped daughter, Kiku (with whom Ayame has a close relationship). A few twists obscure the true villains from the capable ninjas, leading to a climactic battle and puzzling finale. Fans of the series will derive more enjoyment from seeing returning faces, but newcomers may be less inclined to connect with characters given very little development. Still, SA offers an entertaining story and decent backdrop for ninja based gameplay.
The name of the game here is stealth, and that means slow, careful gameplay, and there is a distinct enjoyment found in watching enemies unwittingly approach your eager clutches. The game demands the player wait in the shadows, calculating future movements and always proceeding with as much care as possible. At least this is true at first; as the player's skills progress, the time it takes to complete levels will shrink. Each level is enveloped in shadow, providing the ninjas opportunities to sneak up on opponents and eliminate them with a quick shake of the Wiimote or nunchuk, then slink back into the darkness less another patrolmen see them. This is quickly addictive and a lot of fun in execution; there are also a variety of ways to kill opponents based on the environment. For example, the player can wait underwater (using a bamboo tube) until a samurai wanders to the water's edge, then pull the unwary soldier into the murky depths, never to be seen again. The game provides some good variety in the ways enemies can be killed, so no two play-throughs will be exactly the same.
Additionally, items that can be discovered within levels can change the player's approach, from smoke bombs for concealing one's approach to treacherous poisons, useful for killing indirectly. Each item has more than one use (though for some reason shuriken do not kill by themselves) leading to some creative and clever developments. All of this, however, leads to the unfortunate sword item. Useful for breaking open locks as well as dueling enemies in a first-person view if the player is discovered. These battles suffer from imprecise controls and bone-shattering difficulty. Of course, the game deters the player from going through the game by dueling every opponent; this is, evidently, not the way of the ninja. However this does not excuse the problems sword duels face, and worst of all, boss battles are in the form of, that's right, sword duels. As the rest of the game does its best to prevent you from dispatching foes with the blade, bosses force you to. Thankfully these are not as difficult as common enemies (as illogical as that sounds), but sword dueling is unquestionably one of the low points of the game.
The movement controls are a little stiff and mobility is low, but this essentially pushes the player to move slowly and methodically. In this sense the controls compliment the stealth atmosphere. Otherwise the motion controls for killing enemies are simple to use and fun, if a little inaccurate. The difference between a left-right motion and an up-down motion have to be exaggerated quite a bit, however the game features an adjustable sensitivity function to make things easier. Ultimately the controls are accessible, just not as fluid as some might hope.
Though not pushing any limits in the graphics department, SA looks great and maintains a level of quality throughout the game, especially in the cutscenes which, though not greatly different from the in-game graphics, are definitely eye-catching. Little details also bring the game to life, from the footfalls of a cat to swirling embers floating through the air. Unfortunately all of this does not prevent the occasional graphical glitch, generally during kill animations or involving the twitchy physics of fallen enemies' bodies. The music is not terribly varied but adds the proper amount of ambiance to the game, providing haunting and tense atmospheres at all the right moments. The voice work is also well done, encapsulating characters well without straining the acting, though enemies repeating the same phrases over and over can be cause for annoyance or amusement.
Depending on the player's skill, level lengths can range from fifteen minutes to over an hour. With only ten story missions, a stealthy player will whip through the game rather quickly, but the game offers a ton of incentive to replay levels, including grades, collectible map pieces, different difficulty levels, and shadow mode, a harder version of each mission. Otherwise, each mission has multiple approaches, some even including different paths, so there is always some new facet to discover. Additionally, high grades will unlock more assignments, individual levels with one short goal in mind, and more completed assignments means more unlockables, such as image, sound, and movie galleries as well as bonus items. While the game can be completed in a matter of days, dedicated ninjas will get a lot of gameplay out of Shadow Assassins.
Ultimately Tenchu's problems are relatively minuscule. Shadow Assassins is a delightfully addicting stealth game with a sharp presentation style, and bonus points for focusing on ninjas. Players looking for a mature, hardcore Wii title have found a great starting point for 09.
8.5/10
Images from IGN.com
